Luminaire



Jan. 10, 1967 w. M. WALDBAUER 3,297,864

LUMINA IRE Filed July 2, 1964 2 heets-Sheet 1 Jan. 10, 1967 Filed July 2, 1964 w. M. WALDBAUER 3,297,864

LUMINAIRE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4.

United States Patent Filed July 2, 1964, Ser. No. 379,984 Claims. (Cl. 240--25) This invention relates to luminaires and more particularly to luminaires for streetlighting installations.

An object of this invention is to provide improved luminaire for streetlighting.

I Another object is to provide an improved luminaire for streetlighting which may be easily serviced.

Still another object is to provide an improved luminaire for streetlighting which may be easily serviced with disassembling parts of the luminaire or removing the luminaire from the pole or standard.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the luminaire provided by this invention, in its normally installed position;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the luminaire shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines IIlIII in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the luminaire of FIG. 1, in normally installed position, with the luminaire housing in pivoted open position for servicing of the luminaire.

Throughout the description which follows like reference characters refer to like parts in the various figures.

Referring to FIG. 1, the luminaire shown herein comprising a housing member 10, which housing member is in the form of an elongated, inverted dish.

It is seen that the housing member 16 is defined by a front wall 12, a top 14, and a pair of side walls 16 and 18. It is seen that the top wall 12, and the side walls 16 and 18 taper rearwardly from the front Wall 12 to a rear wall 20 to provide a housing 10 which has a tapered, streamlined appearance.

The dish-shaped housing 19 is divided into first or front and second or rear sections or compartments. The

' first compartment encloses a highly polished reflector 22.

The reflector 22 is mounted in the first section or compartment of the housing 10 by means of two screws 24 and 26 and a latching device 28. The reflector 22 may be readily removed from the housing It for cleaning, or replacement with a new reflector 22.

A lampholder 30 is mounted to the top wall 14 of the housing 10 by means of a bracket 34, a screw 32 and a bolt 36. The lampholder 30 extends through a slot 38 in the reflector 22 and projects into the area defined by the reflector 22. The lampholder 30 is adapted to receive a light source, such as a mercury vapor bulb 40.

The reflector 22 serves to shut off or divide the first or front compartment from the second or rear compartment in the housing 10.

The second or rear compartment in the housing 10 is closed at the bottom by a mating closure member or platform 42. The closure member 42 is attached to the side walls 16 and 18 of the housing member 10 by pivot or hinge pins 44. The housing member 10 is held in closed position relative to the closure member 42 by a screw 46 which extends through a hole 48 in the side wall 16 of the housing member 10 and engages in a screw threaded hole 50 in the closure member 42.

The luminaire is mounted to a pole or standard 52, with the luminaire in substantially horizontal position, in a normal installation. This position is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and is referred to herein also as the closed position of the housing 10.

The luminaire is fastened to the pole or standard 52 by a U-bolt or slip fitter 54. The legs of the U-bolt 54 extend through holes 56 and 58 in the closure member 42. The ends of the legs are threaded and equipped with nuts 60 and 62 for drawing the U-bolt 54 down tightly onto the standard 52. The closure member 42 is also fitted with a threaded stud 64 which may be adjusted to bear against the standard 52 to obtain the desired leveling or adjusting of the angle of the luminaire with respect to a street surface.

A transformer or reactor 67 comprising a laminated core structure 68 having a pair of windings 70 and 72 inductively associated therewith is mounted on the closure member 42. ,A terminal block 74 is also physically mounted on the closure member 42. A socket 78 for receiving a photocell control 80 for turning the light source 40 on and off is mounted on the top wall 14 of the luminaire. The photocell socket 78 is connected to the terminal block 74 by three flexible electrical conductors 82.

Power is supplied to the terminal block 74 fro-m three power leads $4, which leads extend up to the terminal block 74 through the hollow standard 52.

The transformer windings 70 and 72 are connected to the terminal block 74 through flexible electrical conductors 86 and 88. The light source 40 is connected to the power source through a flexible electrical conductor 90 which has one end connected to a terminal on the terminal block 74 and a flexible electrical conductor 92 which has one end connected directly to a terminal on the transformer winding 70.

The normal operating or closed position of the luminaire when installed is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this position the housing 10 is substantially horizontal. It is also seen that in this position the closure member 42 closes the bottom of the second or rear section of the housing 10 to prevent wind, water and snow from entering this section and damaging the transformer, windings 70 and 72, terminal block 74-, photocell socket 78 and various electrical connections housed in the second or rear section of the housing 10. The closure member 42 also obstructs the entry of birds, insects, animals and other unde'sirables into the second or rear section of housing 10. If such undesirables are not excluded from the housing 10 they could cause major damage to the electrical components and connections located in the rear section of the housing 10.

When the luminaire is being installed on the standard 52, or when it is necessary to service the luminaire, the screw 46 is backed out of the screw threaded hole 50 and the housing 16 is pivoted about the pivot pins 44 to the position indicated in FIG. 4. This position is referred to as the open position of the housing 10. The housing 10 is balanced or functionally restrained about the pivot pins 44 so that it may be readily pivoted about the pins 44, and the balance or restraining is such that the housing will remain in the position to which it is moved. The housing 10 may be restrained by placing a coil spring or spring washer 43 around the pins 44 so that it will apply a force to the housing 10 and prevent the housing 10 from moving without the application of some external or additional force. It will not move or oscillate because of its own weight or because of Wind forces.

It is seen that with the housing 10 in the open position shown in FIG. 4, all of the electrical components, such as the transformer 67, the terminal block 74, the photocell socket 78, the lamp socket 30, the lamp source 40, and all of the electrical connections are readily accessible and may be easily serviced. It is emphasized that the electrical conductors attached to photocell socket 78 and to the lamp socket 30 contain suflicient slack so as not to hinder pivoting of the housing 10.

The luminaire provided by this invention has many advantages over the prior art devices. One of which is that it can be more easily serviced While mounted on top of a pole or standard than prior art luminaires. Luminaires are serviced during all kinds of weather and often at night time. They are usually serviced by a man on a ladder or a man in a basket supported from the end of a boom. With the luminaire provided by this invention it is not necessary to detach or remove any parts to service the luminaire, this permits the Serviceman to use both hands to accomplish the servicing instead of having to hold onto removed parts. Also, another advantage of the luminaire providedby this invention is that during servicing there are no dangling parts which could strike and injure the serviceman during a wind storm, or become in contact with the power source and possibly seriously shock the serviceman during servicing.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to one embodiment, it will be understood that modifications may be made therein without departing from its scope.

I claim:

1. A luminaire comprising a dish shaped housing having having a first portion and a second portion, a reflector positioned in said first portion, a closure member mating with said second portion to provide an enclosure, means pivotally connecting said housing to said closure member intermediate said first and second portions, electrical components mounted on said closure member and positioned in said enclosure, and means connected to said closure member for mounting said luminaire.

2. A luminaire comprising a longitudinal dish-shaped housing, said housing having a broad rounded front and sides which gradually taper to the rear of the housing, said housing having a front portion and a rear portion, a reflector positioned in said front portion, a socket for receiving a light source located in said reflector, a closure member mating with said second portion to provide an enclosure, means pivotally connecting said housing to said closure member intermediate said first and second portions, electrical components mounted on said closure member and positioned in said enclosure, electrical conductors connecting said socket to said electrical components, and means connected to said closure member for mounting said luminaire.

3. A luminaire comprising a longitudinal dish-shaped housing, said housing having a broad rounded front and sides which taper to the rear of the housing, a reflector in said housing, said reflector dividing said housing into a first portion and a second portion, a socket for supporting a light source extending into said reflector, a closure member mating With said second portion of said housing to form an enclosure, pivoting means connecting said housing to said closure member intermediate said first and second portion of said housing, electrical components mounted on said closure member and positioned in said enclosure, electrical conductors connecting at least one of said electrical components to said socket, said housing being rotatable about said pivoting means to render said electrical components accessible for servicing, said housing being substantially balanced on said pivoting means to facilitate the rotation thereof, and means connected to said closure member for mounting said luminaire.

4. A luminaire comprising an elongated dish-shaped housing, a closure member mating with a portion of said housing to form an enclosure, means pivoting said housing to said closure member intermediate the ends of said housing, electrical components mount-ed on said closure member and enclosed in said enclosure, said housing being rotatable about said pivoting means to an open position relative to said closure member to render said electrical components accessible for servicing, other means for fastening said housing to said closure member when said housing is in closed position relative to said closure member, and means connected to said closure member for mounting said luminaire.

5. A luminaire comprising an elongated dish-shaped housing, a closure member mating with a portion of said housing to form an enclosure, means pivoting said housing to said closure member intermediate the ends of said housing, transformer means and terminal means mounted on said closure member and enclosed in said closure member when said housing is in closed position relative to said closure member, said housing being rotatable about said pivoting means to an open position relative to said closure member to render said transformer means and said terminal means accessible for servicing, and means connected to said closure member for mounting said luminaire.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,849,574 8/1958 Burns et al 24025 X 3,065,338 11/1962 Husby et a1. 24025 3,071,683 1/1963 Queale 24025 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

C. R. RHODES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A LUMINAIRE COMPRISING A DISH SHAPED HOUSING HAVING HAVING A FIRST PORTION AND A SECOND PORTION, A REFLECTOR POSITIONED IN SAID FIRST PORTION, A CLOSURE MEMBER MATING WITH SAID SECOND PORTION TO PROVIDE AN ENCLOSURE, MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID HOUSING TO SAID CLOSURE MEMBER INTERMEDIATE SAID FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS, ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS MOUNTED ON SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND POSITIONED IN SAID ENCLOSURE, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CLOSURE MEMBER FOR MOUNTING SAID LUMINAIRE. 